All manner and variety of absorbent articles configured for the absorption of body fluids such as menses, urine and feces are, of course, well known. With respect to feminine protection devices, the art has offered two basic types; sanitary napkins have been developed for external wear about the pudendal region while tampons have been developed for internal wear within the vaginal cavity for interruption of menstrual flow therefrom. Such tampon devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,833, entitled "Tampon Applicator", issued to Weigner, et al. on Nov. 1, 1983, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,986, entitled "Tampon Assembly With Means For Sterile Insertion", issued to Jacobs on Nov. 8, 1983.
Hybrid devices which attempt to merge the structural features of the sanitary napkins and the tampons into a single device have also been proposed. Such hybrid devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,092,346, entitled "Catamenial Pad", issued to Arone on Sep. 7, 1937, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,372, entitled "Feminine Hygiene Protective Shield", issued to Denkinger on Sep. 16, 1975. Other less intrusive hybrid devices are known as labial or interlabial sanitary napkins and are characterized by having a portion which at least partially resides within the wearer's vestibule and a portion which at least partially resides external of the wearer's vestibule. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,662,527, entitled "Sanitary Pad", issued to Jacks on Dec. 15, 1953, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,062, entitled "Labial Sanitary Pad", issued to Lassen, et al. on Dec. 23, 1986.
Interlabial pads have the potential to provide even greater freedom from inconvenience because of their small size and increased wearer discretion. Numerous attempts have been made in the past to produce an interlabial pad which would combine the best features of tampons and sanitary napkins while avoiding at least some of the disadvantages associated with each of these types of devices. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,049 issued to Delaney on Dec. 15, 1959, U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,235 issued to Harmon on Jan. 7, 1969, U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,392 issued to Johnson, et al. on Jun. 17, 1986, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,429 issued to Vukos, et al. on Jan. 16, 1996. A commercially available interlabial device is the FRESH 'N FIT.RTM. Padette which is marketed by Athena Medical Corp. of Portland, Oreg. and is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,983,873 and 4,175,561 issued to Hirschman on Oct. 5, 1976 and Nov. 27, 1979, respectively.
Many of these devices have not met with great commercial success, however. There are drawbacks associated with all of the above products. For example, the device described in the Delaney patent does not appear to be capable of an easy and comfortable insertion, due to the possibility of the layers of absorbent material opening up during insertion. The commercially available Padettes suffer from the disadvantage that they may not consistently cover the vaginal introitus and/or the urethra during all body motions (e.g., when the wearer is squatting). The Padette product also may not reliably be expelled as intended when wearer urinates.
Interlabial devices should preferably be designed to be dispelled by a stream of urine which dislodges the product so that it falls into a conventional toilet where it can be flushed. It is important that any such product quickly disintegrate into the sewer system so that it does not obstruct or otherwise damage the sewage systems. It is also important, however, that the product maintain sufficient integrity while it is worn so that it does not disintegrate or tear in use.
Thus, a need exists for an interlabial device that is small in size and that can be easily inserted and that provides protection against incontinence, menstrual discharges, and discharges of bodily exudates throughout a great range of wearer motions. A need also exists for an interlabial device that will reliably be expelled when the wearer urinates. A need also exists for an interlabial device which facilitates sanitary insertion and removal. That is, a need exists for a device which may be inserted into the interlabial space of a wearer while covering the fingertips, thus preventing the fingertips from becoming soiled. A need also exists for an absorbent interlabial device which will maintain its integrity when worn so that it does not disintegrate or tear in use. A need further exists for an interlabial device which is disposable in a conventional toilet thereby facilitating a convenient disposal when the device is expelled by urination, or optionally, removed with the fingers.